System and Method of Restricting Access to Media Content

ABSTRACT

A method of restricting access to content delivered via a video distribution network is disclosed and includes receiving a control stream at a service delivery platform. The control stream is related to media content delivered via a video distribution network. The method also includes parsing the control stream and determining, from the parsed control stream, at least one geographical area in which access to programming associated with the video content channel is to be restricted. The method also includes automatically scheduling a conditional access event associated with the media content at least one video head-end of the video distribution network, the at least one video head-end serving the at least one geographical area. In a particular embodiment, the video distribution network can be an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally related to provisioning conditionalaccess events related to media content.

BACKGROUND

Media service providers, such as television service providers, acquirecontent from content providers, such as television networks, anddistribute the content to subscribers. Some content is subject to accessrestrictions, such as blackouts and other restrictions, which mediaservice providers must implement. Typically, conditional access events,such as blackouts, are scheduled manually after a notificationindicating the event is sent from a representative of the contentprovider to a representative of the service provider. This can makeconditional access scheduling labor-intensive and prone to error. Hence,there is a need for an improved system and method of restricting accessto media content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a particular embodiment of a system torestrict access to media content;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a second particular embodiment of a systemto restrict access to media content;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a particular embodiment of a method ofrestricting access to media content;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a second particular embodiment of a methodof restricting access to media content;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a third particular embodiment of a method ofrestricting access to media content;

FIG. 6 is a general diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a videostream; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a generalcomputer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A system to restrict access to content delivered via a videodistribution network is disclosed and includes a service deliveryplatform having processing logic and memory accessible to the processinglogic. The memory includes instructions executable by the processinglogic to parse a control stream related to a media content channel andto derive conditional access information from the parsed control stream.The memory also includes instructions executable by the processing logicto determine, from the conditional access information, a geographic areain which access to media content associated with the media contentchannel is to be restricted. The memory also includes instructionsexecutable by the processing logic to automatically schedule aconditional access event associated with the media content at a videohead-end of a video distribution network that serves the geographicalarea.

In another particular embodiment, a method of restricting access tocontent delivered via a video distribution network is disclosed andincludes receiving a control stream at a service delivery platform. Thecontrol stream is related to media content delivered via a videodistribution network. The method also includes parsing the controlstream and determining, from the parsed control stream, at least onegeographical area in which access to programming associated with thevideo content channel is to be restricted. The method also includesautomatically scheduling a conditional access event associated with themedia content at least one video head-end of the video distributionnetwork, the at least one video head-end serving the at least onegeographical area.

In another particular embodiment, a method of restricting access tocontent delivered via a video distribution network is disclosed andincludes sending a media content stream to a super head-end associatedwith the video distribution network. The method also includes sending acontrol stream to the super head-end, where the control stream includescontrol data indicating at least one subscriber group for which accessto media content associated with the media content stream is to berestricted. The video distribution network includes a system adapted toautomatically schedule, based on the control data, a conditional accessevent associated with the media content at least one video head-end ofthe video distribution network. The at least one video head-end servesthe at least one subscriber group.

In another particular embodiment, a computer-readable medium isdisclosed having processor-readable instructions executable by aprocessor to perform a method. The method includes parsing a controlstream related to delivery of media content and deriving conditionalaccess information from the parsed control stream. The method alsoincludes determining, from the conditional access information, asubscriber group to whom access to media content associated with thecontrol stream is to be restricted and automatically scheduling aconditional access event associated with the programming at least onevideo head-end of a video distribution network, the at least one videohead-end serving media content to the subscriber group.

Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a particular embodiment of asystem to restrict access to media content is illustrated and designatedgenerally 100. The system includes a plurality of integratedreceiver-decoders (IRDs) 102 that communicate with a proxy server 108.Each IRD 102 also communicates with an acquisition server (A-server) 106via an encoder 104, The proxy server 108 communicates with a servicedelivery platform (SDP) 110. Further, the SDP 110 communicates with aplurality of video head-ends 112-116. Each video head-end is adapted todistribute media to client devices within a particular geographicalarea. In one embodiment, the proxy server 108 and the SDP 110 areincluded in a conditional access provisioning system of a videodistribution network, such as an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)network. Alternatively, the proxy server 108 can be integrated with theSDP 110.

In a particular embodiment, each IRD 102 serves a plurality ofgeographic areas via the video head-ends 112-116. Each IRD 102 receivesa media content stream corresponding to a particular television channel,such as a video content channel or music content channel. In anillustrative embodiment, the media content stream can be a MovingPicture Experts Group (MPEG) stream that includes video content, audiocontent, other media content, or a combination thereof. In addition,each IRD 102 receives a control stream related to delivery of mediacontent received via the media content stream. Each IRD 102 is adaptedto determine whether the control stream includes data indicating thatthe media content is subject to an access restriction, such as ablackout, a limitation on access to users associated with a particularsubscription level, a limitation on access to users who pay for mediacontent corresponding to the media content stream, or a combinationthereof.

Each IRD 102 is adapted to send its control stream to the SDP 110 viathe proxy server 108, when the control stream includes data indicatingthat the media content is subject to one or more access restrictions.Further, each IRD 102 is adapted to send the media content stream to theencoder 104. The encoder 104 is adapted to encode the content portionfor transmission via the video distribution network by the A-server 106that corresponds to the television channel.

The SDP 110 is adapted to parse the control stream into data elementsand to derive conditional access information from the parsed dataelements. The conditional access information can include a geographicalarea in which the media content is to be restricted, a subscriber groupto whom the media content is to be restricted, a start time of therestriction, an end time of the restriction, a type of restriction, achannel or virtual channel affected by the restriction, or anycombination thereof. In an illustrative embodiment, a geographical areacan be indicated by a geographical region code (GRC). The SDP 110 isadapted to automatically schedule a conditional access event at a videohead-end associated with the geographical area(s) in which the mediacontent is to be restricted, such as the video head-end 112. The SDP 110can call a scheduling application programming interface (API) at thevideo head-end 112 and interact with the scheduling API to schedule theconditional access event for main streams sent to client devices,secondary streams (e.g., picture-in-picture streams), or a combinationthereof. In one embodiment, the conditional access information canindicate that the media content is to be restricted in multiplegeographical areas, and the SDP 110 can be adapted to automaticallyschedule the conditional access event at a plurality of video head-ends,such as all of the video head-ends 112-116.

In a particular embodiment, the conditional access information canindicate that the media content subject to a restriction is to bereplaced with substitute content. The conditional access information canidentify the substitute content. The conditional access information canalso identify the primary content (i.e., the media content subject tothe restriction), a channel via which the primary content wouldotherwise be delivered, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, theconditional access information can identify the primary content, thesubstitute content, or any combination thereof, as one or more virtualchannels. The SDP 110 is adapted to determine an acquisition point ofthe substitute content, such as a particular acquisition serverassociated with a virtual channel corresponding to the substitutecontent.

Additionally, the SDP 110 is adapted to automatically schedule thesubstitution at one or more of the video head-ends 112-116. In anillustrative embodiment, the SDP 110 is adapted to create a substitutiontable at the video head-end(s), where the substitution table maps theprimary content to the substitute content. The substitution table canalso indicate the acquisition point of the substitute content, such asanother acquisition server 106. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a firstsubstitution table 118 for a first channel 602 can indicate that aprimary service (e.g., ESPN) provided by a first acquisition server isto be replaced with a secondary service (e.g., ESPN ALT 4) provided by afifth acquisition server. In another embodiment, the substitution tablecan map a start time, end time, and channel to the substitute content.

In a particular embodiment, the SDP 110 is adapted to receive secondcontrol stream data related to television programming or other mediacontent that is subject to the scheduled conditional access event. TheSDP 110 parses the second control stream data and derives conditionalaccess update information from the parsed second control stream data.The conditional access update information indicates that a previouslyscheduled conditional access event is to be deleted or modified. Forexample, the conditional access update information can indicate that ablackout is no longer applicable to a particular television program orthat certain users can receive a blacked out program. In anotherexample, the update information can indicate that a start time of theblackout, an end time of the blackout, substitute content to bedelivered during the blackout, one or more geographical areas to whichthe blackout applies, or any combination thereof, have been updated.

The SDP 110 is adapted to identify a previously scheduled conditionalaccess event to which the update information applies. Further, the SDP110 is adapted to automatically modify or delete the scheduledconditional access event at one or more of the video head-ends 112-116at which the conditional access event was scheduled. In a particularembodiment, the SDP 110 logs receipt of the update information. Forinstance, a SDP database can store data indicating that updateinformation has been received, a time at which the update informationwas received, at least a portion of the contents of the updateinformation, or a combination thereof.

In an illustrative embodiment, the SDP 110 can be adapted to determinewhether the update information derived from the second control streamdata indicates that substitute content associated with the conditionalaccess event is to be modified or deleted (i.e., when the conditionalaccess event no longer applies). If the substitute content is to bemodified or deleted, the SDP 110 can be adapted to automatically call asubstitution application programming interface (API) at one or more ofthe video head-ends 112-116 to modify or delete a substitution tableassociated with the conditional access event.

Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a second particular embodimentof a system to restrict access to media content is illustrated anddesignated generally 200. The system includes a service deliveryplatform (SDP) 202 that communicates with a video super head end (SHE)222 via a proxy system 218. Alternatively, the proxy system 218 can beintegrated with the SDP 202. The SHE 222 communicates with at least onecontent provider 220. Further, the SDP 202 communicates with a pluralityof VHEs 228. Each of the VHEs 228 serves media content to client devicesof a video distribution system within a particular geographical area.

In one embodiment the content provider 220 sends a media content streamto the SHE 222. If the content provider 220 determines that the mediacontent is subject to a conditional access restriction, the contentprovider 220 also sends a control stream to the SHE 222. The controlstream includes parsable control data indicating at least onegeographical area or other subscriber group for which access to themedia content is to be restricted.

In an illustrative embodiment, the SHE 222 includes a plurality ofintegrated receiver-decoders (IRDs) 224. Each IRD 224 is coupled to oneof a plurality of acquisition servers (A-servers) 226. In a particularembodiment, each IRD 224 is adapted to receive a media content streamassociated with a different channel or virtual channel from a contentprovider, such as the content provider 220, and to deliver correspondingmedia content to client devices via the video distribution system. In anillustrative embodiment, the media content stream is a Moving PictureExperts Group (MPEG) stream. Each IRD 224 sends media content associatedwith a received media content stream to an A-server 226 to which it iscoupled. Each A-server 226 can distribute the media content to one ormore of the VHEs 228 for delivery to client devices in one of aplurality of geographical areas served by the VHEs 228.

Further, each IRD 224 is adapted to receive a control stream related todelivery of media content received via its media content stream. EachIRD 224 is adapted to determine whether the control stream includes dataindicating that the media content associated with the media contentstream is subject to one or more access restrictions, such as ablackout, a limitation on access to users associated with a particularsubscription level, a limitation on access to users who pay for mediacontent corresponding to the media content stream, or a combinationthereof. The IRD 224 is adapted to send the control stream to the SDP202 via the proxy system 218, when the control stream includes dataindicating that the media content is subject to one or more accessrestrictions.

The SDP 202 includes processing logic 204 and memory 206 accessible tothe processing logic. The memory 206 includes a plurality of modules208-216 that are adapted to provide various functions of the SDP 202with respect to automatically provisioning conditional access withrespect to media content. The modules 208-216 can include data stores;hardware logic; instructions executable by the processing logic 204,such as instructions included in one or more computer programs oroperating systems; or any combination thereof.

For example, the memory 206 includes a control module 208 that isexecutable by the processing logic 204 to receive control streams fromthe IRDs 224 via the proxy system 218. Further, the control module 208is executable by the processing logic 204 to parse each control streamand to derive conditional access information from the parsed controlstream. The conditional access information includes a geographical areain which the media content is to be restricted, a subscriber group towhich the media content is to be restricted, a start time of therestriction, an end time of the restriction, a type of restriction, achannel affected by the restriction, substitute content to replace therestricted media content, or any combination thereof. In an illustrativeembodiment, the geographical area can be indicated by a geographicalregion code (GRC).

The memory 206 includes a SDP database 210 to log receipt of controlstream data indicating a conditional access event. For instance, the SDPdatabase 210 can store data indicating that the control stream data wasreceived, a time at which the control stream data was received, at leasta portion of the conditional access information, or any combinationthereof.

The memory 206 includes an event schedule module 212 that is executableby the processing logic 204 to automatically schedule a conditionalaccess event at each video head-end 228 associated with a geographicalarea in which the media content is to be restricted. In one embodiment,the conditional access information can indicate that the media contentis to be restricted in multiple geographical areas, and the eventschedule module 212 that is executable by the processing logic 204 toautomatically schedule the conditional access event at a plurality ofvideo head-ends 228. For example, the media content can be subject to ablackout in multiple geographical areas. In another embodiment, theevent schedule module 212 can be executable by the processing logic 204to schedule a first type of conditional access event at a first VHE anda second type of conditional access event at a second VHE. For instance,the media content can be subject to a blackout in a first geographicalarea and restricted to paying users or users associated with a certainsubscription level in another geographical area. In a particularembodiment, the memory 206 can include a VHE reference module 213 tostore data indicating which of the VHEs 228 is associated with aparticular geographical area.

In a particular embodiment, the conditional access information canindicate that the media content subject to a restriction is to bereplaced with substitute content. The conditional access information canidentify the substitute content. The conditional access information canalso identify the primary content (i.e., the media content subject tothe restriction), a channel via which the primary content wouldotherwise be delivered, or a combination thereof. The memory 206includes a substitute module 214 that is executable by the processinglogic 204 to determine an acquisition point of the substitute content,such as a particular acquisition server, and to schedule thesubstitution at one or more of the video head-ends 228.

In an illustrative embodiment, the substitute module 214 is executableby the processing logic 204 to create a substitution table at the videohead-end(s), where the substitution table maps the primary content tothe substitute content. The substitution table can also indicate theacquisition point of the substitute content, such as a particularacquisition server. In another embodiment, the substitution table canmap a start time, end time, and channel to the substitute content.

In a particular embodiment, the control module 208 is executable by theprocessing logic 204 to receive second control stream data related totelevision programming or other media content that is subject to thescheduled conditional access event. The control module 208 is executableby the processing logic 204 to parse the second control stream data andderive conditional access update information from the parsed secondcontrol stream data. The conditional access update information includesdata indicating that a previously scheduled conditional access event isto be deleted or modified. For example, the conditional access updateinformation can indicate that a blackout is no longer applicable to aparticular television program or that certain users can receive ablacked out program. In another example, the update information canindicate that a start time of the blackout, an end time of the blackout,substitute content to be delivered during the blackout, one or moregeographical areas to which the blackout applies, or any combinationthereof, have been updated.

The memory 206 includes an update module 216 that is executable by theprocessing logic 204 to identify a previously scheduled conditionalaccess event to which the update information applies. For instance, thepreviously scheduled conditional access event can be retrieved from theSDP database, or the conditional access update information can indicatethe previously scheduled conditional access event. The update module 216is executable by the processing logic 204 to automatically modify ordelete the scheduled conditional access event at one or more of thevideo head-ends 228 at which the conditional access event was scheduled.In a particular embodiment, the SDP database 210 logs receipt of theupdate information. For instance, the SDP database 210 can store dataindicating that update information has been received, when the updateinformation was received, at least a portion of the contents of theupdate information, or any combination thereof.

In an illustrative embodiment, the control module 208 is executable bythe processing logic 204 to determine whether the update informationderived from the second control stream data indicates that substitutecontent associated with the conditional access event is to be modifiedor deleted (i.e., when the conditional access event no longer applies).If the substitute content is to be modified or deleted, the updatemodule 216 is executable by the processing logic 204 to automaticallycall a substitution application programming interface (API) at one ormore of the VHEs 228 to modify or delete a substitution table associatedwith the conditional access event.

Referring to FIG. 3, a flow diagram of a particular embodiment of amethod of restricting access to media content is illustrated. At block300, a conditional access provisioning system receives a control streamrelated to the delivery of television programming or other mediacontent. In an illustrative example, the control stream can be receivedfrom a super head-end of an Internet Protocol Television network at aservice delivery platform (SDP) or other device of the conditionalaccess provisioning system. Moving to block 302, the conditional accessprovisioning system parses the control stream.

Proceeding to block 304, the conditional access provisioning systemderives conditional access information from the parsed control stream.The conditional access information includes data indicating thattelevision programming or other media content associated with the mediacontent stream is subject to a conditional access restriction, such as ablackout, a limitation on access to certain users, or a combinationthereof, within at least one geographical area. In one embodiment, themedia content can be subject to a plurality of conditional accessrestrictions within a plurality of geographical areas. For example, themedia content can be subject to a blackout in multiple geographicalareas. In another example, the media content can be subject to ablackout in a first geographical area and restricted to paying users orusers associated with a certain subscription level in anothergeographical area. The control stream can also indicate a start time ofthe conditional access restriction, an end time of the conditionalaccess restriction, a channel affected by the conditional accessrestriction, substitute content to be delivered via the affected channelbetween the start time and end time of the conditional accessrestriction, or any combination thereof.

Continuing to block 306, the conditional access provisioning system logsreceipt of the conditional access information. For instance, a SDPdatabase can store data indicating that the control stream data wasreceived, a time at which the control stream data was received, at leasta portion of the conditional access information, or any combinationthereof.

Advancing to block 308, the conditional access provisioning systemdetermines the geographical area(s) in which the media contentassociated with the media content stream is subject to the conditionalaccess restriction(s). For example, the conditional access provisioningsystem can determine the geographical area(s) based on one or moregeographical region codes (GRCs) included with the conditional accessinformation. At block 310, the conditional access provisioning systemautomatically schedules a conditional access event at each videohead-end that serves a geographical area in which the media content issubject to a conditional access restriction. For example, theconditional access provisioning system can automatically call andinteract with a scheduling application programming interface (API) toschedule the conditional access event. In one embodiment, theconditional access provisioning system schedules a same type ofconditional access event at each video head-end. In another embodiment,the conditional access provisioning system schedules one type ofconditional access event at one or more first video head-ends andschedules a second type of conditional access event at one or moresecond video head-ends.

Moving to decision node 311, the conditional access provisioning systemdetermines whether the conditional access information derived from thecontrol stream indicates that substitute content is to be delivered inreplace of the media content associated with the conditional accessevent. If substitute content is to be delivered, the method proceeds toblock 312, and the conditional access provisioning system determines asource of the substitute content. The source can be determined from theconditional access information included with the control stream or fromdata stored at the conditional access provisioning system. The methodcontinues to block 314, and the conditional access provisioning systemcreates a substitution table at each video head-end where a conditionalaccess event has been scheduled for the media content. In one example,the conditional access provisioning system automatically calls andinteracts with a substitution API to create the substitution table. Themethod terminates at 316.

Referring to FIG. 4, a flow diagram of a second particular embodiment ofa method of restricting access to media content is illustrated. At block400, a conditional access provisioning system receives second controlstream data related to television programming or other media contentthat is subject to conditional access. In an illustrative example, thesecond control stream data can be received from a super head-end of anInternet Protocol Television (IPTV) network at a service deliveryplatform (SDP) or other device of the conditional access provisioningsystem. Moving to block 402, the conditional access provisioning systemparses the second control stream data.

Proceeding to block 404, the conditional access provisioning systemderives conditional access update information from the parsed controlstream. The conditional access update information includes dataindicating that a previously scheduled conditional access event is to bedeleted or modified. For example, the conditional access updateinformation can indicate that a blackout is no longer applicable to aparticular television program or that certain users can receive ablacked out program. In another example, the update information canindicate that a start time of the blackout, an end time of the blackout,substitute content to be delivered during the blackout, one or moregeographical areas to which the blackout applies, or any combinationthereof, have been updated.

Continuing to block 406, the conditional access provisioning system logsreceipt of the update information. For instance, a SDP database canstore data indicating that update information has been received, a timeat which the update information was received, at least a portion of thecontents of the update information, or a combination thereof. Advancingto block 408, the conditional access provisioning system identifies apreviously scheduled conditional access event to which the updateinformation applies.

At block 410, the conditional access provisioning system automaticallymodifies or deletes the scheduled conditional access event at one ormore video head-ends where the conditional access event was previouslyscheduled. Moving to decision node 411, the conditional accessprovisioning system determines whether the update information derivedfrom the control stream indicates that substitute content associatedwith the conditional access event is to be modified or deleted (i.e.,when the conditional access event no longer applies). If the substitutecontent is to be modified or deleted, the method proceeds to block 412,and the conditional access provisioning system automatically calls andinteracts with a substitution application programming interface (API) ateach video head-end where the conditional access event was scheduled, tomodify or delete a substitution table associated with the conditionalaccess event. The method terminates at 414.

Referring to FIG. 5, a third particular embodiment of a method ofrestricting access to content is illustrated. At block 500, a contentprovider sends a media content stream to a super head-end system of amedia content service provider, such as an Internet Protocol Television(IPTV) service provider. The super head-end of the media content serviceprovider communicates with a system associated with the videodistribution network, such as a service delivery platform, which isadapted to automatically schedule conditional access events based oncontrol data. Moving to decision node 502, the content providerdetermines whether the media content associated with the media contentstream is subject to conditional access. For instance, the contentprovider can determine that at least one geographical area or othersubscriber group is prohibited from viewing the media content, such as asports game, due to a blackout restriction. If the content providerdetermines that the media content is subject to a conditional accessrestriction, the method proceeds to block 504, and the content providersends a control stream to the super head-end. The control streamincludes parsable control data indicating at least one subscriber groupfor which access to the media content is to be restricted. The methodterminates at 506. In a particular embodiment, the system communicatingwith the super head-end can parse the control stream and automaticallyschedule a conditional access event at one or more video head-endsserving the subscriber group(s) for which the media content is subjectto conditional access.

In some embodiments, the methods disclosed herein can be performed asdescribed. In alternative embodiments, aspects of the methods can beperformed in alternative sequences or simultaneously. For example, amedia content provider can determine whether media content is subject toconditional access before sending the media content stream. In anotherexample, the media content provider can send the media content streamand the control stream simultaneously.

Referring to FIG. 6, a general diagram of an illustrative embodiment ofa control stream is illustrated and designated generally 600. Thecontrol stream 600 includes a plurality of retune messages sent, forexample, at ten second intervals. For example, the control stream 600includes one or more first retune messages 602 indicating that primarymedia content, such as media content associated with a virtual channel1000, is to be delivered to a geographic area corresponding to multicastaddress 253. In one embodiment, one or more particular integratedreceiver-decoders (IRDs) at a video super head-end can be associatedwith multicast address 253, where the IRD(s) are allocated to thegeographic area.

In addition, the control stream 600 includes a plurality of secondretune messages 604 indicating that the geographic area corresponding tomulticast address 253 is to receive substitute content associated with asecond virtual channel 1001, beginning at a blackout start time 606 andending at a blackout end time 608. In one embodiment, the second retunemessages can occur within the control stream at ten-second intervals,beginning one minute prior to the blackout start time 606.

During a period between the blackout start time 606 and the blackout endtime 608, a plurality of third retune messages 610 indicate that thegeographic area corresponding to multicast address 253 is to receivemedia content associated with the virtual channel 1001. In addition,fourth retune messages 612 indicate that the geographic areacorresponding to multicast address 253 is to begin receiving mediacontent associated with virtual channel 1000 at the blackout end time608. The fourth retune messages can occur within the control stream, forexample, at ten second intervals beginning one minute before theblackout end time 608.

In conjunction with the configuration of structure provided herein, asystem and method of restricting access to media content are provided inwhich automated, software-based scheduling and execution of blackoutsand other conditional access events occur based on a control stream thatis received and parsed at a service delivery platform or otherconditional access provisioning system of a video distribution network,such as an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network. In otherembodiments, the system and method can be applied to a cable network, asatellite dish network, or other video distribution network adapted todeliver video traffic via similar architectures.

Referring to FIG. 7, an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem is shown and is designated 700. The computer system 700 caninclude a set of instructions that can be executed to cause the computersystem 700 to perform any one or more of the methods or computer basedfunctions disclosed herein. The computer system 700 may operate as astandalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to othercomputer systems or peripheral devices.

In a networked deployment, the computer system may operate in thecapacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-clientuser network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer(or distributed) network environment. The computer system 700 can alsobe implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wirelesstelephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner,a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, aweb appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In a particularembodiment, the computer system 700 can be implemented using electronicdevices that provide voice, video or data communication, Further, whilea single computer system 700 is illustrated, the term “system” shallalso be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems thatindividually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructionsto perform one or more computer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the computer system 700 may include aprocessor 702, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or both. Moreover, the computer system 700 caninclude a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, which can communicatewith each other via a bus 708. As shown, the computer system 700 mayfurther include a video display unit 710, such as a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flat paneldisplay, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT).Additionally, the computer system 700 may include an input device 712,such as a keyboard, and a cursor control device 714, such as a mouse.The computer system 700 can also include a disk drive unit 716, a signalgeneration device 718, such as a speaker or remote control, and anetwork interface device 720.

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 7, the disk drive unit716 may include a computer-readable medium 722 in which one or more setsof instructions 724, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, theinstructions 724 may embody one or more of the methods or logic asdescribed herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions 724 mayreside completely, or at least partially, within the main memory 704,the static memory 706, and/or within the processor 702 during executionby the computer system 700. The main memory 704 and the processor 702also may include computer-readable media.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, suchas application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods described herein. Applications that may include theapparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium thatincludes instructions 724 or receives and executes instructions 724responsive to a propagated signal, so that a device connected to anetwork 726 can communicate voice, video or data over the network 726.Further, the instructions 724 may be transmitted or received over thenetwork 726 via the network interface device 720.

While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution bya processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or moreof the methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be arandom access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally,the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or opticalmedium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capturecarrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmissionmedium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives may be considered a distributionmedium that is equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of acomputer-readable medium or a distribution medium and other equivalentsand successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsthat may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference toparticular standards and protocols, the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to such standards and protocols. For example, standards forInternet and other packet switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP,UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) represent examples of the state of the art. Suchstandards are periodically superseded by faster or more efficientequivalents having essentially the same functions. Accordingly,replacement standards and protocols having the same or similar functionsas those disclosed herein are considered equivalents thereof.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from thedisclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Additionally, the illustrations are merely representational and may notbe drawn to scale. Certain proportions within the illustrations may beexaggerated, while other proportions may be reduced. Accordingly, thedisclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative ratherthan restrictive.

One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein,individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover,although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangementdesigned to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted forthe specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover anyand all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b) and is submitted with the understanding that it will not be usedto interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition,in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features may be groupedtogether or described in a single embodiment for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter may be directed toless than all of the features of any of the disclosed embodiments. Thus,the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as defining separately claimedsubject matter.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall withinthe true spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximumextent allowed by law, the scope of the present invention is to bedetermined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the followingclaims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited bythe foregoing detailed description.

1. A method of restricting access to content delivered via a videodistribution network, the method comprising: receiving a control streamat a service delivery platform associated with a video distributionnetwork, wherein the control stream is related to media contentdelivered via the video distribution network; parsing the controlstream; determining, from the parsed control stream, at least onegeographical area in which access to the media content is to berestricted; and automatically scheduling a conditional access eventassociated with the media content at least one video head-end of thevideo distribution network, the at least one video head-end serving theat least one geographical area.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising deriving conditional access information from the parsedcontrol stream, wherein the conditional access information indicates thegeographical area.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprisingscheduling a first type of conditional access event at a first videohead-end based on the control stream and scheduling a second type ofconditional access event at a second video head-end based on the controlstream.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first type of conditionalaccess event and the second type of conditional access event include ablackout event, a restriction of access to a subscription level, arestriction of access to users who pay to receive the media content, ora combination thereof.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlstream indicates that the media content is to be replaced withsubstitute media content.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprisingdetermining an acquisition point corresponding to the substitute mediacontent.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising creating asubstitution table at the at least one video head-end, wherein thesubstitution table indicates the media content and the substitute mediacontent.
 8. A method of restricting access to content to be deliveredvia a video distribution network, the method comprising: sending a mediacontent stream from a content provider to a super head-end associatedwith the video distribution network; and sending a control stream fromthe content provider to the super head-end, wherein the control streamincludes control data indicating at least one subscriber group for whichaccess to media content associated with the media content stream is tobe restricted; wherein the video distribution network includes a systemadapted to automatically schedule, based on the control data, aconditional access event associated with the media content at least onevideo head-end of the video distribution network, the at least one videohead-end serving the at least one subscriber group.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the media content stream comprises a Moving PictureExperts Group (MPEG) stream having a video portion, an audio portion, ora combination thereof.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the controldata indicates a conditional access start time, a conditional access endtime, an affected channel, substitute content, or any combinationthereof.
 11. A system to restrict access to content delivered via avideo distribution network, the system comprising: a service deliveryplatform having processing logic and memory accessible to the processinglogic, wherein the memory includes instructions executable by theprocessing logic to: parse a control stream related to a media contentchannel; derive conditional access information from the parsed controlstream; determine, from the conditional access information, a geographicarea in which access to media content associated with the media contentchannel is to be restricted; and automatically schedule a conditionalaccess event associated with the media content at a video head-end of avideo distribution network that serves the geographical area.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the service delivery platform is adapted toreceive the control stream from an integrated receiver-decoder at asuper video head-end.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the servicedelivery platform is adapted to receive the control stream via a proxysystem.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the service deliveryplatform and the proxy system are included in a conditional accessprovisioning system.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the servicedelivery platform includes a database to log receipt of the conditionalaccess information.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the memoryincludes instructions to schedule the conditional access event at thevideo head-end by calling a scheduling application programming interface(API) at the video head-end.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein theconditional access information indicates the geographical area, a starttime for the conditional access event, an end time for the conditionalaccess event, primary content, substitute content, or any combinationthereof.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the primary content, thesubstitute content, or any combination thereof, are indicated by avirtual channel.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the videodistribution network is an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network.20. A computer-readable medium having processor-readable instructionsexecutable by a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:parsing a control stream related to delivery of media content; derivingconditional access information from the parsed control stream;determining, from the conditional access information, a subscriber groupto whom access to media content associated with the control stream is tobe restricted; and scheduling a conditional access event associated withthe programming at least one video head-end of a video distributionnetwork serving media content to the subscriber group.
 21. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the subscriber groupincludes a geographical area, users associated with at least onesubscription level, users who have paid for access to the media content,or a combination thereof.
 22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20,wherein the method further comprises: parsing second control stream dataassociated with delivery of the media content; determining that thesecond control stream data indicates at least one update to thescheduled conditional access event; and automatically updating thescheduled conditional access event at the at least one video head-end.23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein updating theconditional access event includes changing a start time of theconditional access event, changing an end time of the conditional accessevent, changing substitute content to replace the media content,deleting the conditional access event, or any combination thereof. 24.The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the method furthercomprises automatically updating a substitution table related to theconditional access event at the at least one video head-end.
 25. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the method furthercomprises logging receipt of the second control stream data, logging atime at which the second control stream data was received, logging theupdating of the conditional access event, or a combination thereof.